“A
book of unparalleled interest. It bristles with sharply defined positions
and passionate arguments, all of them expressed with clarity and augmented
by the author’sinsightful and well-informedreflections.”
–Library Journal

“A
fascinating book ...[offers] considerable insight into questions
about the nature of art, the nature of human nature, and some of the
great intellectual controversies of our time.”–Steven Pinker, Harvard University, author of The Better
Angels of Our Nature

“I
can’t imagine a better book of its kind. . . . readers will profit
greatly and they are addressed considerately and without condescension.”–Richard Taruskin,
University of California, author of
The Oxford History of Western
Music

From the Reviews:

"Sherman is an
excellent writer and a modest, intuitive interviewer. He couches each
interview in a kind of cultural portrait of the person, including a brief bio,
a summary of his or her importance in the field, and a short character sketch,
all done kindly and respectfully, without fawning. I particularly like his introduction,
a succinct and appealing exploration of the basic question as
he sees it, "Why do they play like that?" .... whom he interviews is less important than how he interviews.
A truly delightful book." - Tina
Chancey,Early
Music America, 2005

"Sherman's contributions
are among the most interesting and thoughtful in the book. He asks consistently
good questions (sometimes, as in his final question to Leonhardt, quite brilliant),
and provides some really excellent commentary of his own... some
excellent material, much of it provided by Sherman, and a number of fascinating
discussions with important performers. ... All early musical life (c.
1994) is here."
-Daniel Leech-Wilkinson,Early Music, 1999

"The best of his subjects
give a sense of a journey in progress: just when we might have thought we were
running out of things to discover, we find that we have hardly started. . .
. The proceedings open with a fluent essay stirring
up controversies with a light touch. To my mind, this is the
best thing on early music performance since Taruskin's
now infamous article (to which Sherman refers at some length). In this
vibrant
book the best thing is that the barriers are down."-Richard
Langham Smith,The
Musical Times, 1998

“Thought-provoking
and immensely stimulating. . . It is intended as no disparagement to the performers interviewed to
claim that the greatest strength of the book is Sherman himself, for in general
he brings to his questioning and ancillary comments a formidable weight of learning
and perception; ... these are not interviews of the 'what
are you going to record next?' kind, but in-depth examinations of a wide range
of issues that concern performance practice. . . .[the] choice of interviewees
proves to be judicious. .. .truly compelling reading.” –Brian
Robins,Fanfare, 1997

"A book ofunparalleled interest.
It bristles with sharply defined positions and passionate arguments, all of
them expressed with clarity and augmented by the author’sinsightful and well-informedreflections. . . . Sherman hasavoided the temptation to present only
one side of contentious issues--and there are many--or to attempt to reconcile
divergent views. He addresses these fascinating topics through interviews with
some of the best-known performers in the field, having chosen those with interesting
things to say and stimulated them with thought-provoking questions.”
–Timothy
J. McGee,Library
Journal, 1997

“Exceedingly
invitingand
not just for Baroque record geeks.... a
wide spectrum of outlooks and outputs. . . .eloquent
artists with a lot to say. . . Sherman guides the conversation with a sure
hand.... With grace
and depth,Inside
Early Musicprovides that which is all too rare: serious edu-tainment.”
–Bradley
Bambarger,Billboard,
June 14, 1997

“Interviews [are] rarely conducted at
the intellectual level shown here. . . . Sherman interviewed 23 leading performers
[who] show a wide range of attitudes....
It is a task he approaches withenormous
intelligence; his
questions lead somewhere and produce insight into what the musicians are trying
to do, both philosophically and practically. He links, compares and contrasts
(without making a meal of it), and points towards further reading and listening.
Sometimes he goes further, as in his fascinatingPostscript on Medieval Music, Plainchant, and 'Otherness'”
– Clifford
Bartlett,Early
Music Review,
October 1997.

"Sherman earns the
respect of his subjects by askingwell-informed questions, and
theyrespond
engagingly. The critical discographies and "suggestions for further reading"
that follow each chapter are particularly
valuable. . .
. .The current relevance of classical music is often questioned, but what about
really old music? ...[Christopher Page] argues for the value of 'an alert and
compassionate approach to the arts of other civilizations, including the arts
of one's own civilization in the past.' Shermans's postscript to this chapter
brings an even broader perspective . . Devotion to music of the past may not
be so irrelevant after all."
- David Breitman,Piano
and Keyboard,March/April,
1998

“Excellent
. . . . The teeming practical detail of this book is a great achievement in
itself, but equally significant is its documentation of the major conceptual
issues behind the historical-performance movement. . . . a contribution to contemporary
debates.”– Anthony Pryer,The
Times Literary Supplement,
January 16, 1998

"Sherman is a superb interviewer: well
informed, thoughtful, respectful without being sycophantic. In his
written introductions to each interview, he is frank about where he stands on
contentious issues but lets the performers speak for themselves.....
These thoughtful, articulate musicians - and Sherman's considerable
skills as journalist, critic, and guide to the reader - make this booka delight for early-music neophytes and mavens alike. It should even
hold some interest for those who dislike everything "HIP" stands for.
" –Matthew
Westphal,
amazon.com

"Inside Early Music
is an
outstanding achievement.
Bernard Sherman has managed to give a broad overview of current trends in historical
performance while at the same time focusing on enough of the interesting details
and current hot topics to give the book an unexpected depth.
He achieves this
through his thoughtful selection of interviewees, each discussing his or her
own area of specialization, and also through his probing questions.
"Sherman’s ability to stand back and put the whole of the current early
music scene into perspective is admirable.
Historical performance has become a remarkably diverse field over the last
twenty years.... Inside Early Music gives a balanced view of the whole scene
and manages to show why it still has a cohesiveness ....Sherman did a fabulous job of conducting the interviews, capturing the
personality of each performer. In each interview he focuses on hot issues pertinent
to that performer’s area, showing himself to be extremely well versed in the
recent research relating to wildly different areas of performance.
"Inside Early Music is likely
to broaden the reader’s interests....
Sherman provides valuable
introductions to each performer and annotated discographies which include quotes
from reviews of the CDs mentioned. Additionally he has compiled good, basic
reference lists for further reading at the end of each chapter. The discographies
and reading lists not only offer tips for the many readers who will want to
pursue certain material in further detail, they help amplify Sherman’s own perspective... I
recommend this book highly
.... The interviews are engaging
and informative,
while the discographies and reading lists make it a useful reference book."
–John
Moran,Continuo(www.continuo.com), February 1998